Athletic guard



W. E. BISCHOFF ATHLETIC GUARD Filed Dec. 2.

June 30, 1931.

/N VEA/Toe imam-,Q E. 5/5 @Hof-F Patented June 30, 1,931

, WALTER E. BiscHoFF, or sfr. LOUIS,MissoURnjassIGNon;rojnmivninesMANUFAC- TUBING COMPANY, or sfr. LoUIs,MIssoURLn coroaarrion' orVMIssoUnr ATHLETIC tatiana)5J",l i n lApplication mea December a; I1929.serial No. 4111180;

This invention relates to guards ofthe kind that'are used byathletes,for protecting a part or parts of the users lbodyl from injurywhile the user is engaging in an athletic event, for example, a game oflfootball.V It relates particularly torthigh guards and shin guards`ofthe typethat are formed principallyk from fibre board or otherrelatively hard, non-metallic sheet material, bent Vor shaped so as toconform approximately to the outline of the part of the users vbodywhich the guard is designed to protect.v

One object of -my invention is to provide a snug fitting, comfortableathletic guard formed principally from fibre board or other relativelyhard sheet material bent or shaped to conform approximately to the partwhich the guard is designed to protect, and provided with a metallicreinforcing means arranged in such a manner that" vin the event itbecomes broken or ruptured, it cannot cause injury to the user of the'guard' or toa person or object that strikes against the guard.

Figure l of the drawings is afront elevational view ofa thigh,guard'constructed in accordance `with my invention.

' VFigure Zis a rear elevational viewi'of s aid guard, partly brokenaway so as Vto more clearly illustrate the metallic reinforcing means. YY p Figure V3 is a vertical.V longitudinal sectional view, taken on thelinef-B of Figure 2, looking in the direction indicated by the arrows;and

Y Figure 4 is a horizontal sectional view, taken on the line 4 4 ofFigure 52,',looking'inl the direction indicated by the arrows.

As illustrated inthe accompanying drawings, my improved guard iscomposed of two or more pieces A and A of fibre board" or other suitablenon-metallic sheet material bent orshaped so as to form a member ofsubstantially oblong shape in general outline which'is curvedtransversely orlof 4substantially/half round shapein horizontal crosssection, so asto conform approximately to Vthe shape of the users thigh.At the peripheral edge of thevguard is a binding B formed preferablyfrom a piece of heavy felt that embraces the edge portions of the :libremembers A andA;` and which isA held in position by 'one or more rows ofstitches 1l that'also serve as a fasteningmeans or securing means forthe members" A and' `Almvhich prevents said membersfrom separating orfrom moving `relatively to each `otherl` The binding B whicheffectively'prevents the `edges fof the fibre'meinbersV A and A .fromcutting into*` "is thick enoughsothat it will serve asacpad A the: formof my inventionzherein illustrated each f-the metallic -reinforcingdevices-@ consists" of a striplofv steel bent so as l:tofzcon v form tdthe cross sectional shape of the guard and rigidly connected to'one ofthe fibre members, "for ekamplefthe innermember A by rivets-2 locatedadjacent the: ends `of 'said strip, as shown in Figures 2 and 3.;"Inconstructing'lthe guard thefreinfor'cing devices C, after 'being bentto `proper" shape,are peri manenuy and rigidly 1 @Onneetea 1 to `the Y.

curve-d `inner.member'A aof the'u'ard and said inner member. is'thenarranged in nested` relationshipwith theouter member A of the guard,-thereby causing the metallic reinforcing .devices to be completely`housed and protected by the twofffibre members-A and A4 f betweenV.which said .devicesf are interposed. Thereafter, the bindingBis'app-lied tothe edge prtions of the ihembersfA andA and Y secured inposition by meanslfof'v stitches f1.V whichjconnectjthe membersA and' Altol gether and 'efl'ectivelyprevent said members l from separating ormoving relatively to each other inany: direction;V I prefer'tovcut themembers A and A inv such a waythat'when said membersvare `combined thegrain 'ofrne Y memberwill cross or `bedisposed at an angle tdthe ofl thefo'theg member, u thereby producing a laminated structure in which thesheets of material that constitute the body portion of the structuretend toreinforce and strengthen each other.

An athletic guard of the constructio-n above described will retain itsshape, even when it becomes wet, or when it is subjected to a severeshock or blow, due to the fact that it is composed of two curved piecesof fibre board or other suitable hard sheet material that are reinforcedand strengthened by shaped strips of steel arranged transversely betweensaid pieces and permanently anchored to at least one of said pieces.Such a guard is comfortable to the user, as it fits snugly to the partwhich Ait is designed to protect and is provided at its peripheral edgewith a pad that encases or embraces the edge portions of the libremembers A and A.Y One of the members being formed of relatively hard,non-metallic sheet material, and a metallic reinforcing means arrangedwholly on the interior of the guard between adjacent curved nembers andattached to one of said memers. j

lVVAL'IER E. BISCHOFF.

chief advantages of such a guard, however, 4

is that the metallic reinforcing means of same is effectively protectedfrom moisture or dampness by the libre members A and A', and isprevented fromcausing injury to the user or to a person or object whichstrikes against the guard, in the event said metallic reinforcing meansbreaks or ruptures when the guard is in use, this being due to the factthat the metallic devices C are housed between two tough members thatform the inner and outer surfaces of the guard. Y

While I have herein illustrated my invention embodied in a thigh guardthat is intended to be positioned in a pocket formed in the leg portionof a pair of football pants, I wish it to be understood that myinvention is applicable to other kinds of athletic guards and that it isimmaterial what means is used for maintaining the guard in operativerelationship withrthe part of the users body which the guard is designedto protect.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

1. A thigh guard, composed of two members curved in transverse crosssection, constructed of fibre board and arranged in nested relationship,shaped strips of. steel arranged transversely of the guard between saidmembers, -means for attaching said strips to the inner member, and abinding arranged to embrace the peripheral edges of said members andsecured to same by stitches which also connect the peripheral edgeportions of said members together.

2. An athletic guard, composed of a plurality of shaped pieces of fibreboard arranged in nested relation with the grain of one piece disposedat an angle to the grain of an adjacent piece, and a metallicreinforcing means arranged wholly on the interior of the guard betweensaid pieces.

3. An athletic guard composed of a plurality of members curved intransverse cross sectlon and arranged in nested relatomsaid

